


Before it's too late

by tbat



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, bout time i wrote some dedicated Panzeke Content, still snuck in a bunch of pyrex references because they are Too Important, this is serious for like two seconds and then gets consumed by zeke von shitpost almost immediately
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-10-09 17:26:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17411141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tbat/pseuds/tbat
Summary: With Alrest finally saved, Pandoria realizes that there's something she has to tell her Prince.





	Before it's too late

**Author's Note:**

> what the hell are ship dynamics other than pyrex-brand "i wuv u uwu"

Zeke trudged through the thick snow of Genbu, his boots leaving deep prints with every step as he followed behind Pandoria. Being back in Tantal- back  _home-_ so soon, only a few hours after Malos' defeat was...rather surreal to him, really. Azurda had dropped them off to check on the damage done in Malos' attack, and to help out with the recovery effort if need be. Oddly enough, there'd been relatively little damage to Theosoir. It was hardly  _unscathed,_ but nowhere near the smoking ruin he'd half-expected it to be upon his return.

Even the palace itself, miraculously enough, was largely intact, although an attendant had gravely informed Zeke that a stray shot from a Gargoyle had completely incinerated his former bedroom, alongside all his favourite pairs of turtle-themed pajamas. Zeke had mourned the loss greatly, but knew in his heart the ashes that were once his pajamas had potentially protected thousands of lives- that their sacrifice had not been in vain.

Still, those were  _really_ comfy pajamas, and he'd forgotten to pack them when he'd first left Tantal. Just his luck.

Some time after they'd received this devastating news, and having helped cleared a decent amount of the rubble littering the city center, Pandoria had approached him with an oddly tense expression, asking for a private word and beckoning him to follow her. Apparently she was very keen on stressing the word "private" here, given they'd walked a solid thirty minutes away from Theosoir's gates. In complete silence.

Not so much as a chuckle from her, even after Zeke had cracked five of his best jokes of the week to try and break the ice. Preferably not the ice he was walking on, although this wouldn't be the first time that had happened. Normally, Pandoria would be the first to crack up at one of his world-class zingers, or at least lapse into one of her  _shocking_ bouts of poor taste and tell him it sucked. And yet, nothing. He'd even thrown in a couple of new titles he'd been workshopping for the past few days, just to see if  _those_ would bait her out, but none of it helped at all. It was like she was barely acknowledging his presence.

At last, though, Pandoria came to a stop a few feet away from a cliff edge. The entirety of the city itself was visible from here, glowing faintly in the distance.

Zeke stood at her side, examining her face. The glint of her glasses obscured her eyes, but he could tell she was nervous- incredibly so. Over their many years together, Zeke had learnt to pick up on all the small details that could reveal her mood in a glance. It was a sign of the true depthes of their bond, stronger than steel, that he could tell exactly what was going through her head with but a glance.

Well, okay,  _certain unnamed people_ , from Mor Ardain, holding the position of Special Inquisitor, who may or may not be called Morag, had claimed that the way Pandoria's assortment of lightbulbs started flickering on and off like they were short-circuiting was a bit of a giveaway that she was nervous, but Zeke  _knew her_  on a far deeper level than anyone else. He knew her every subtle cue. Her downcast gaze. The way her shoulders hunched forward, her hands balled up into tight fists. The biting of her lip.  _Possibly, maybe,_ the light bulbs. It was all quite obvious to his finely honed Pandoria Mood Senses. Whatever this was all about, it was...quite serious indeed.

He remained quiet for now, staring ahead at the view of the now-distant Theosoir. Even Zeke knew when silence was the best policy. He'd give her time to prepare herself first.

Soon enough, the rapid flashing on her lightbulbs dimmed to their usual low, gentle glow as she took in a sharp breath. It looked like she was ready.

"So...I guess you're wondering why I brought you out here, huh?" Pandoria said without looking at him.

"Well, I can't say I'm not curious. It  _was_ quite the trek, after all. Confidential matter, is it?" he responded, turning towards her.

"You...could say that, yeah." She paused, taking another, shallower breath. "Look, something's been on my mind. Ever since we got outta the World Tree. Pyra and Mythra...they almost  _died_ back there. Hell, they pretty much  _did_ die. It's kind of a miracle they're even here at all."

"A miracle indeed. I can hardly believe it myself. Still, we got quite the heartwarming reunion out of it, didn't we?" Zeke said with a nod, thinking back to that moment.

It was a scene he'd never forget. The beautiful sight of his chum, his  _protégé_ , finally telling the girl he loved exactly how he felt. Admittedly, she'd told him first, but hey, he'd said it back. Close enough. A proud smile formed on his lips at the thought.  _Way to go, chum._

Pandoria joined in with her own smile, although she veered more towards appreciative than proud. Pyra wasn't exactly  _her_ protégé, after all. Despite both her and Zeke's repeated efforts, she'd never managed to establish herself as Pyra's official mentor on Love And Cute Boys, leaving Zeke alone to handle the important duty of subtly pushing them together by telling them they should probably get together. Repeatedly. At top volume.

This did somewhat gloss over the fact that Rex had never actually agreed to Zeke's occupation as his Love and Cute Girls mentor, or was aware of it, or would necessarily want it, but details were hard to spot when you only had one eye available.

"Oh, yeah, good stuff," Pandoria said with a fond voice. "What did you like best, the part where Pyra started crying, or the part where  _Rex_ started crying? I didn't even know you could lose that much liquid from your body without dying."

"You can't just pick one like that, Pandy, you need them  _both_ reduced to tears to get the full effect. What's a confession without a little mutual emotional breakdown, eh? Oh, and you can't forget all that burying their faces against each other they did, that was important, too. It's all a rich tapestry."

"Yeah, sure, but it kinda muffles them. Makes it hard to hear all the 'I love yous.' I think they got to, like, twenty each?" she said, her head tilting as she did some quick confessional arthimetic.

"Twenty-five by my estimate. You have to count the rapid-fire ones separately."

"I dunno. If you don't take a breath between them, that kinda feels like cheating." Pandoria blinked before shaking her head, grunting in frustration. "Look, this isn't really about  _them,_ my Prince."

"Well, that's a shame. I had a whole speech about the beauty of young love I wanted to run past you before I gave it to them."

"Quit being a big dork for a sec. This is  _important,"_ she said, not giving him time to respond that he was very cool and not a dork at all, actually. She let out a quiet sigh before continuing.

"It's just...that whole thing got me thinking. If Pyra hadn't come back, if she'd just...stayed dead, they'd...never have told each other, right? They'd have left it all unsaid until it was too late. They got lucky. Way,  _way_ luckier than most people ever will. Plus, it's not like we haven't had our own close calls, y'know?"

She gave a meaningful glance towards Zeke's chest, and the fragment of her core crystal embedded in it, before turning back towards Theosoir. He instinctively ran a hand across his coat, feeling the slight bump of the fragment protruding through it.

"Far too close for comfort, I'd say," he replied. "I'm very grateful, you know, Pandy. If it weren't for you, well...I don't really want to think about it. I owe you my life."

Pandoria's face flushed a deep red, the bulb set atop her head shining brightly for a moment.

"D-don't make this any harder than it already is, my Prince, jeez," she muttered. "All I'm saying is, you never know when...well, something like that's gonna happen again. They got lucky.  _We_ got lucky. That might not happen the next time, and...I don't wanna have any regrets. Feel like there's...something I should've said."

Pandoria at last turned to fully face Zeke, her determined gaze meeting his own. She'd somehow managed to turn even redder, her face a crimson circle surrounded by a multitude of blinding yellow lights.

"So...My Prince.  _Zeke._ I..." she swallowed hard. "I...love you. I love you, Zeke. I dunno how  _you_ feel, but...I wanted you to know, at least."

Zeke stared at her in stunned silence, his mouth involuntarily hanging open at what she'd said.

Pandoria loved him.

 _Pandoria_  loved  _him._

Well. That was convienient.

Very kind of Pandy to tell him the three words that he'd most longed to hear for the better part of a decade. What with him also loving her.

Oh, he should probably tell her that, shouldn't he.

Damndest thing, though, his eye was going all blurry, like someone was pouring water all over it, and she was really more a vague black and purple haze right now, with a bit of green thrown in at the top to keep things interesting. Dreadful timing, that. How do you tell someone you love them when you're only eighty percent sure you're actually looking at them?

"Hey, are you...crying?" the Pandyblob asked, its presumed head tilting to the side in curiosity.

"N-nonsense! I'm just, uh...swapping the Eye of Shining Justice's cooling fluids! You know how the damn thing overheats," he lied on instinct, trying to dab at his exposed eye with what he assumed was the skill and precision of a master engineer.

"You're crying out of both eyes."

"It's...possible a few tears of joy have snuck in there, yes," he said, caving in immediately.

"Yeah, thought so," Pandoria said with a snort. It took her a moment to properly internally process the word 'joy' in that sentence. Once the realization hit, her eyes widened in shock. "Whoa, whoa, wait, d-does that mean that  _you_ , um... _y'know_...?"

Zeke gave her a fond smile as he nodded in response. His hand rose up in front of his still-weeping eye with pure affection. With a sweep of adoration, he pivoted to the side, making sure to keep his Eye of Amorous Tears facing towards her. His free hand landed on his hip, but with a light, sensitive touch.

His forbidden technique, one he had been forced to seal away for all these years, for fear that its destructive power would reduce his and Pandoria's partnership to cinders in but a moment, was at last unleashed. Finally, it was time to tell her everything. Zeke Von Genbu's Starlight Confession: Unlimited Kissing Form had been activated.

To the uneducated bystander, this pose would look remarkably similar to just about every other pose Zeke cycled through on an hourly basis. Few could detect the subtle aura of Romance permeating the air around him like pink clouds of concentrated ether. He knew in his heart that Pandoria would be one of those few.

With a flick of his hand, Zeke met her eyes once again.

"That's right, Pandy...I, too, love you. With all my heart."

A sharp gasp escaped Pandoria's lips as her face lit up in a smile as bright and dazzling as the lightbulbs adorning her shoulders, a metaphor Zeke cursed himself for not thinking of earlier. Pretty good reaction, that, the old wide smile and eyes shimmering with love combo, but this was only the beginning. It was time to give her the incredible, heartfelt speech he had yearned for her to hear for far too long.

Pandoria would know beyond any doubt precisely how much he loved her, and she'd find out in  _style._  She'd be swooning so hard he'd have no choice but to catch her before she hit the ground, and then she'd be swooning  _even harder_ at how dashing her Prince truly was. It was the  _perfect plan._

"Pandoria, my love...From the moment I first laid eyes on you, I was enraptured by your beauty, your spirit, your boundless energy, your incredible talent for synchronised posing..."

"Hold it, hold it," Pandoria said, a tiny chuckle breaking through her otherwise rather sincere smile, "Did you just say since you first met me?"

" _Laid eyes_   _on you_ , Pandy. It's more poetic that way."

"Sure, sure, but weren't you like...fifteen then?"

Zeke frowned. Honestly, he'd barely even  _started_ his speech and she was already killing what little momentum he'd gotten going. What did it matter how old he was when they'd met?

"Well...yes, I  _was_ quite young when I resonated with you," he murmured, before bringing his voice back to its usual volume to try and salvage some of his dramatic flow. "And from that fateful day onwards, my life was changed forever, as I gazed upon the woman I knew in my  _soul_ I would love for eterni-"

Pandoria cut across him with a longer, louder laugh. She covered her mouth with her hand in a doomed attempt to stifle the laughter.

"Awww, that's so  _sweet,"_ she said, voice dripping with syrupy-thick condescension, "Did you get a little crush on your cute new Blade, my Prince?"

"I-it was not a  _crush,_ it was  _love at first sight!_ My heart skipping a beat from the sheer overwhelming might of your beauty and grace!" Zeke protested, trying to plug the sinking ship of his speech with every cliche he had on hand.

"So a...crush," she said, smirking.

Zeke grumbled under his breath, his gentle smile giving way to a pout.

"Fine _,_ then. Since the day I awoke you, I had a  _crush_ on you."

Pandoria nodded with a satisfied grin. Zeke took this as permission to carry on with his regularly scheduled swoon-making.

"And every day since, that...crush has only grown deeper. As we became closer, as I learnt more about you, I-"

"Hey, so, if you've always had a crush on me...is that why like, a week after we met, you told me you could totally make that jump from your room's window to that balcony next door to us? Were you just trying to look cool for me?" Pandoria said, interrupting him  _again._

Zeke's pout grew deeper. It's like she didn't even  _want_ to hear about his undying love for her.

"It's possible I may have wanted to impress you with a demonstration of the Zekenator's physical prowess, yes, but that's only because I found you so  _captivating,_ Pandy."

"Oh yeah, it was  _super_ impressive when you made the jump and then still fell backwards off the ledge and broke your arm. I still think about it, y'know."

"Hah! Left an impact on you, did it? Mission accomplished, then," Zeke said, a triumphant grin returning to his face.

"Only 'cause you looked like a dumbass."

"Rude, Pandy, very rude. I see you're nice and calm now that you're  _insulting your one true love_ , you cruel, cruel woman," he said, finally dropping his pose so he could fold his arms and huff. It took all his will power not to stomp his foot.

Pandoria gave him a flippant shrug.

"What can I say? I was pretty overwhelmed 'til you started acting like a huge doofus again. It's comforting, y'know? It's like, hey, even now you're just a big hunky dork," she said with a smile that straddled the line between affectionate and mocking.

"Hunky I may be, but I am not a  _dork_. I'm being  _romantic_ here," Zeke whined. His stomped his foot, spraying clumps of snow onto his legs. The will power was nice while it lasted.

"Uh-huh. So, that pose you were doing...it's got a name, right?"

"Why yes, that one happens to be called Zeke Von Genbu's Starlight Confes-"

"Dork," Pandoria stated with gleeful bluntness.

"I'm  _not a dor-_ " Zeke cut his own tantrum off, pausing to think for a moment. Clearly his mastery of persuasion was failing today. This situation called for action, not words. A small portion of the ether surrounding Pandoria flowed towards him, infusing him with just enough energy for The Plan.

"Well, Pandy, let me ask you: would a dork do  _this?"_

Before Pandoria could upset him further by replying with 'yeah probably,' Zeke dashed towards her, the ether he had absorbed granting him the instant of extra speed he needed as he pulled her into a tight embrace, prompting a yelp of surprise from her.

With one last glance into Pandoria's eyes, packing as much Smouldering Passion as he could into that single look, Zeke brought his lips to hers in a deep kiss. At first, her eyes widened in surprise at his sudden action, but soon Pandoria quite happily returned the kiss, her own arms wrapping around Zeke as she sunk further into his embrace. In response, Zeke brought a hand up towards her head, his fingers lightly brushing against her slightly fluffy hair.

So far, so good, then. Extremely romantic and not at all dorky. That'd show her. Now all he had to do was part from her lips, give her another gaze of utter adoration, and she'd know that Zeke Von Genbu was both hers, now and forever, and also very cool and suave, thank you.

With a lingering, gentle stroke of her cheek, Zeke pulled away from Pandoria, his eye still slightly misty, yet shining brightly with boundless love, a warm smile on his lips. Perfection.  _That_ was how you showed someone you loved them.

It seemed to have worked. Unfortunately, for as much as Pandoria's eyes were filled to the brim with tears of love, for as deep and bright a shade of red her face had turned, she was  _still smirking at him_ , and look, he wasn't going to pretend Pandoria wasn't cute when she was smug, but  _this was not the cuteness he had ordered._ He had  _specifically_ asked for awestruck affection.

"Hm...yeah, they probably would," she said, infernally adorable grin fixed in place.

"Oh come  _on,_ Pandy, that was top notch romance right there!"

"Yup. Doesn't mean you aren't a big ol' dweeb, though. That's  _why_ I love you, my Prince. You're the coolest dweeb I've ever met."" she replied, unfairly mitigating the insult by slowly nuzzling her nose against his. Begrudgingly, Zeke allowed himself to be bought off with affection and returned the nuzzle.

"And I've never met anyone who can insult me as lovingly as you, Pandy. I truly love you," Zeke whispered, leaning back in for another, shorter kiss. After a few seconds, they broke the kiss, content to simply hold each other for the time being.

It was rather nice, really. Pandoria was clinging onto him as tightly as she could, her face practically burrowing into his chest and her ears drooping slightly in contentment. With a downward tilt, Zeke brought his head closer to hers, strands of her hair lightly brushing against his face.

"We...should probably head back, huh? We've been gone a while now," Pandoria said quietly, her tone and firm grip on Zeke making it clear she didn't particularly want this to end.

"I...suppose so, yes. There might be some alarm if they think we've gone missing," Zeke responded with about as much enthusiasm.

Pandoria's arms slipped away from him, though not without a lingering caress across his back. Reluctantly, Zeke followed suit, bringing a hand up to gently stroke her face.

Pandoria held out her arm, beckoning Zeke to take her hand.

"Guess we better get going, my Prince."

Nodding, Zeke placed his hand in hers, his fingers quickly interlocking with her own as they began to walk back home. A few minutes later, after a largely silent trek back, Zeke glanced towards Pandoria.

"Say, Pandy..." he began.

"Yeah?"

"You know you don't have to call me that anymore, right? We're lovers now," he said, rather relishing the term. "No need for ranks anymore. Just 'Zeke' will do fine."

Pandoria let out a short laugh, grinning at him.

"Nah, you don't get it. Before it was a rank thing. Now it's more like you're my, you know...sweeping-me-off-my-feet kinda Prince. Totally different."

Zeke laughed along with her. If that's what it meant, he supposed he could live with it.

"Is that so?" he said, stroking his chin. Still, that phrasing was giving him an idea.  _Well, if she insisted._

His hand slipped out of her own. The sudden lack of contact made Pandoria stop in her tracks, looking towards Zeke with curiosity.

"Something wrong?"

Without answering, Zeke moved closer to Pandoria and bent his legs slightly, his hands darting towards her back and lower legs. With a swift sweep of his arms and a yell of shock from Pandoria, Zeke scooped her upwards into a bridal carry, holding her close against his chest as he began walking again.

"My Prince, wh-what the hell!?" Pandoria exclaimed, fidgeting slightly in his arms.

"You said I was sweeping you off your feet," Zeke said in a matter-of-fact tone, looking down at her.

"Yeah,  _metaphorically_ , not  _literally."_

"Are you complaining?" he said, smirking.

Pandoria's fidgeting gradually ceased as she got used to her new perch in Zeke's arms.

"Eh, I guess not. Just...warn me next time, alright?" Pandoria said, taking the opportunity to snuggle in closer to Zeke, her head leaning against his chest.

Zeke quietly cursed the fact that his hands were somewhat preoccupied right now and, as such, couldn't start reassuringly stroking her hair again without compromising the all-important carrying stance.

Love called for harsh sacrifices indeed.

"Don't you worry, I'll have a title for this technique worked out by the end of the day. You'll hear it coming."

Pandoria snorted.

"Yeah, me and everyone in a ten-mile radius."

"How else will we let people know that we're the  _perfect pair,_ Pandy?"

"Ooh, good point. We gotta show off somehow, huh?" Pandoria said, eyes lighting up mischievously. "Hey, I just realised...we're totally stealing Rex and Pyra's thunder, right? Getting together on the same day? They're gonna be  _so mad._ I can't wait to tell 'em."

Zeke let out a booming laugh.

"We aren't stealing anything, Pandy. All thunder rightfully belongs to Thunderbolt Zeke and his darling Pandoria, after all! No longer mere Driver and Blade, but husband and...okay, not  _quite_ there yet..." he trailed off, the first draft of this speech proving difficult.

"Boyfriend and girlfriend?" Pandoria offered.

"No, no, far too cutesy, far too...well,  _them."_

"Hm..." Pandoria tapped her chin for a moment, "What about partners?"

Zeke's eye shone with inspiration. Once again his muse had come through for him.

"Parters! That's the one! Partners in battle, in life, and now,  _in love!_ Pandoria, where would I be without you?"

"With  _way_ worse speeches," she said, grinning with pride.

"To say the least. Awakening you changed my life, Pandy. There's no one I'd rather have by my side. I love you. More than even I could ever say," Zeke said, tightening his grip a little. Pandoria responded by placing her arms around him, trying to pull herself in even closer.

"I love you too, my Prince. You have no idea how glad I am that  _you're_ my Driver. I wouldn't wanna be awakened by anyone else," she said, nuzzling her face a little harder against his chest.

With that, they set off through Genbu's vast frozen wastes, towards Theosoir, and the captive audience who would be the first victims of their We're A Couple Now routine. It needed a lot of fine-tuning until they met up with the rest of their friends, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> "pandoria's lightbulbs flash when she's nervous" and "kid zeke tried super hard to impress her" headcanons stolen shamelessly from kawaiiboushi, thanks for the Material


End file.
